Back To The Forest
by Talietzin
Summary: Ashitaka goes to the forest in search of San after two months of helping Eboshi. All does not go as planned. PG-13 for violence and certain references and scenes to come in later chapters. May change accordingly. COMPLETED!
1. Shortlived Happiness

Back To The Forest 

A Princess Mononoke fan story

By Jikuuharuto

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this writing except for my idea.

Chapter One: Short-lived Happiness

Ashitaka decided to return to the forest for a while after helping to rebuild Iron Town for two months, during which he occasionally returned to the forest to visit San and think about what had happened before he began to help Eboshi rebuild Iron Town.

_San... Just a little while more... _he thought as he mounted Yakkul and waved to the people of Iron Town. The gate was open and he made sure he had all his items before he left.

"Take care, Ashitaka!" yelled Kouroku, whose arm and leg had healed, but which were still a bit stiff.

"Didn't he take any grain with him?" wondered Toki aloud.

"He can take care of himself. And I don't think that the wolf-girl would want anything belonging to us near him. Remember, despite the truce that Ashitaka forged for the two sides, she still despises humans," Eboshi said. "Besides, the forest is a source of food. He can find food for himself, if the wolf-girl doesn't."

Loyal Gonza scratched his bald head and shrugged, then followed Eboshi back into Iron Town.

"Are you sure about letting him go, My Lady? We might need an extra pair of hands around and who knows whether the forest creatures will break the truce?" asked Gonza, a worried expression on his face.

"Gonza, he's been away from his precious wolf-girl long enough. The whole town knows he loves her and nothing will stop him when he wants to visit her. Besides that, he's helped us rebuild and re-plan the entire place well. He deserves to get some rest. Rebuilding the town has definitely taken its toll on his health," Eboshi replied in her usual calm manner. Gonza nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what Eboshi had said. Despite being so loyal to Eboshi for reasons unknown, he had no special feelings for her or any other woman and thus would never understand love.

Yakkul trotted across the bridge towards the forest, but Ashitaka told him to stop.

"I'll wash myself before I visit San. She doesn't like the scent of humans, much less Iron Town," he explained as he removed his upper garments and placed them on his saddle with his weapons. Unbeknownst to him, San was watching from a tree branch, covered by the thick leaves but still could see Ashitaka through a small gap between them.

"_What's he doing?_"wondered San silently to herself. Her hand subconsciously made its way to the crystal dagger he gave her. She turned it left and right, almost playing with it as she watched Ashitaka clean himself. "_Mother said he wanted to share his life with me... But I only replied that I hated him because__ I couldn't control my feelings then... Did I really hate him?_"

Ashitaka waded out of the lake and saw Yakkul patiently grazing on the grass nearby. Faithful Yakkul; he could always be trusted not to run away just to play a prank. Ashitaka put on his clothes and mounted Yakkul, making his way to the Wolf Clan's den, admiring the scenery and watching the Kodomas on the way. So much had changed since he last entered the forest. There were far more trees and flowers around. The wildlife had since returned to the forest.

"_Hmm... Maybe the Forest Spirit brought back not only the plants and trees but also the animals. Sometimes I'm simply in awe when I think of the Forest Spirit's power,_" he thought on the way. When the duo reached the den, there was no sign of San or the wolves outside. Worried, Ashitaka hurriedly dismounted Yakkul and sped into the den to see whether San and the wolves were inside. There was still no sign of San or the wolves inside. Ashitaka ran around in a frenzy, calling out for San.

"San!! Where are you?!" he shouted. Just as he was about to give up shouting himself hoarse, a white flash was seen and Ashitaka fell, the breath knocked out of his lungs. As he struggled to breathe, his eyes widened as he saw a dagger in front of his nose.

"Gotcha!" San said with a grin, the upper portion of her face hidden behind her mask. Ashitaka managed to heave a sigh of relief as San put the dagger away and he let his head fall backwards onto the soft grass. San was more able to control her feelings and her temper since the forest became full of life again. She still hated the humans for destroying the forest before, but her personality was no longer so rash and violent. She was more docile and playful than before, but still bore great hatred toward the humans. Ashitaka was the only one she could trust. San rose and rested her knees on the ground, her inner thighs in contact with Ashitaka's waist. She laughed, to which Ashitaka reacted by saying, "You had me so worried! Where were you?"

San continued her laughter until she managed to calm down, then pulled her mask up so that it was covering her forehead. She moved her head closer to his and said into his face, "I was waiting for you. I just thought I'd play with you and have a bit of fun! I had a hard time convincing my brothers to-"

"Play this silly and childish game," one of the wolves said. The two of them were so engrossed in each other that they hadn't noticed the two wolves lying prone on the rocks and looking at them. As Ashitaka turned to face the wolves, his nose brushed against San's. San's face began to turn red and she tried to hide it with her mask, but her brothers laughed, rolling on the rocks uncontrollably.

"What's so humorous?" asked Ashitaka, curious to know what the joke was about.

One of the wolves replied, interrupted by bursts of laughter, "Brushing noses... Haha! Is... Hah! One of our ways... Hahaha! Of showing affection! Hahahahaha!" He could no longer control his laughter and laughed and rolled so hard that he fell off the rock he was on and landed in the grass. Ashitaka began laughing as well, making San's face turn an even deeper red.

"Stop it!" she said with a small smile. She punched Ashitaka lightly and playfully in the rib. He responded by tickling San, who grabbed her sides as Ashitaka's fingers furiously worked their way through San's fingers to tickle her waist. San laughed so hard that she fell backward onto the grass, followed by Ashitaka, who let his right knee rest on the ground while his left foot was placed away from his knee, allowing himself to remain balanced and in a position to tickle San while her legs fidgeted and kicked wildly in the space between his knee and foot. San's mask was hurting her face due to her tossing and turning, so she moved it back up to her forehead. Ashitaka continued tickling her, but her leg kicked his knee and caused him to slip and fall on top of her.

He slammed both palms down on the ground and summoned the strength to keep himself from slamming into her face. He succeeded, but ended up in a most awkward position with his nose and lips touching hers. Their eyes widened. The two wolves had returned to their normal state and decided to leave the two alone.

"Take care of San... Or my fangs will find your head, human," cautioned one wolf.

"He will. As Mother said, he has long wanted to be San's mate. How could he bear to hurt our sister?" the other said.

"You never know what a human thinks, Takeshi. For all we know he could be part of some ploy by that Eboshi woman. I don't trust humans."

All this while, Yakkul was watching from behind a tree so as not to disturb the pair who were clearly enjoying themselves up until this display of dual affection. Ashitaka rose quickly, his face and San's both red.

"You know... It's a human way of showing affection to someone through contact of lips... We call that a kiss."

"A... kiss?" San asked, curious. Ashitaka nodded.

"It's when you feel great love for someone that you kiss the person. What do wolves do to show their love with actions?"

"As my brother said, one of the ways we show our feelings is by brushing our noses together. We also lick, but I don't do that with my brothers. Their fur sometimes gets caught on my tongue," San replied. She immediately realised that Ashitaka was different from her brothers and rose, letting him fall on the grass and licked his left cheek, to his surprise. He in turn pulled her close to him and gave her a kiss. It was meant to be short, but it dragged on for a bit. At first, San's eyes widened and she was apprehensive of it. It was a strange new feeling that felt uncomfortable at first, but she gave in and closed her eyes, accepting this new feeling. She could sense the love Ashitaka for her throughout the duration of the kiss. San suddenly got to her feet. Ashitaka's eyes shot open and he stood up.

"What's wrong, San?" he asked.

"I... It's a human behaviour... You're trying to make me more like a human, aren't you?!" San asked, suspicious. Ashitaka maintained his calmness and held her shoulders.

"No, San. I'm not trying to make you more like a human."

"Then why are you doing this?!" she demanded, suspicious. Ashitaka pulled her to his chest and held her tightly.

"I'm doing this because I love you, San. I would never do anything that would be bad for you. I'm not trying to change you into a human, because you're perfect as you are. Why would I change you if you were perfect to me in every way?" he replied. Sometimes, during his few visits, he had tried in vain to make San more like a human, but always ended up searching the entire forest for her and apologising. She had the body of a human but the soul of a wolf and that was one thing that made Ashitaka happy when he realised it. She had great courage and was never afraid to say what she wanted to say. San had no reason to doubt him. She knew that he wasn't lying. When he pulled her to his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. It was steady and consistent, meaning that Ashitaka wasn't nervous and lying. She knew his feelings were true and accepted them. Her arms found their way to Ashitaka's back. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Ashitaka's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I need a place to stay in the forest, San, and I want you to be with me. I don't know how I'd be staying here. Maybe I could just sleep under a tree," he said.

"Why don't you stay in the den?" she suggested.

"Your brothers would never approve of it," he replied.

"I'll convince them, somehow. They have to accept you," she answered.

"I don't know... I remember now! I built a residence from the extra materials I found in Iron Town. It's right outside the forest, overlooking the lake (Near where Ashitaka, the two injured men and Yakkul saw Iron Town). I think I'll stay there. It was supposed to be for me to relax after working, but I don't think you want to go near Iron Town, do you?"

San was hesitant at first. She dared not look into his eyes as she thought through it. She hated the sight and scent of Iron Town, because it reminded her of Eboshi and how Moro was shot. Eventually, she faced him again, her expression full of confidence.

"I'll go to your home... But I don't want those humans disturbing us," she replied. Ashitaka smiled.

"I don't want to make myself look selfish, San. I'm not forcing you to go," he said, implying a question about whether she was doing it because she wanted to.

"I'll go because I want to follow you. I don't want to lose you, Ashitaka!"

"What about your brothers?" he asked.

"I'll tell them."

Ashitaka licked her cheek, hugged her and looked for Yakkul. He waved to her and told her that he would meet her at the sacred pool and bring her to his home at sunrise.

At dawn, in the wolves' den, San was not having the best time.

"That human! He wants to take you away from us!" Takeru, the other wolf, growled, his face displaying great anger. "I will not allow it!"

"But Takeru! Their feelings are true for each other! You should not interfere! It is in her best interests that she goes!" Takeshi argued. Takeru growled.

"Even YOU, my brother, are helping that human?! I will not allow San to go! She stays in this den!"

San exploded with suppressed anger. "No! I won't stay! I love Ashitaka and nothing will stop me from being with him! I'm not afraid of showing how I feel! I'm going because I want to, not because he forced me to!"

"San... Takeru is only concerned about you," Takeshi said.

"My sister... San. Go... But if any harm comes to you, my sister... He will pay dearly for it."

San smiled and scratched her brothers' heads, then grabbed her spear, dagger and some food wrapped in leaves and prepared to meet Ashitaka.

Ashitaka was already waiting at the pool, standing next to Yakkul. He was thinking back to when Moro saved San from becoming a demon and when San stabbed him with the crystal dagger. He smiled and touched the area where the dagger had come into contact with him. He was lucky that the sleeves he wore had protected him, if not, the dagger could have caused a serious injury.

He heard the distant sound of quick footsteps and the crunching of a few dried, dead branches. He smiled and looked in the direction of the sound.

"_Almost there..._" San thought to herself. As she approached the sacred pool, she could make out the figure of Ashitaka standing next to a great elk. Her face lit up as she jumped into Ashitaka's arms, holding the spear aside to make sure she did not cut him. The speed at which San hit Ashitaka was great, and he fell to the ground, face to face with the only woman he loved. He held her tightly.

"Am I late?" she asked.

"No. The sun's not even up yet," replied Ashitaka. The two of them got up and mounted Yakkul, San in front of Ashitaka.

"Take your time, Yakkul. We're not in a hurry," Ashitaka instructed with a smile. San looked turned her head as far as it would go to look at Ashitaka, who responded by smiling and moving his arms around her body, right hand holding the left side of her waist and left hand holding the right, just like that night when he brought her out of Iron Town. He moved his face to her neck and simply took in her distinct scent. The hood-like portion of her fur cape was pulled back, so it was no obstruction. All the way to the hut, the two of them talked and laughed, also admiring the forest, which was becoming more visible with the sun's slow but sure ascent.

Ashitaka took in a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Never before had he breathed in such a clean breath of air in the stuffy Iron Town. It was a good thing that the residence did not have any opening directly facing Iron Town; he'd already considered the fact that San was not going to like the sight of it.

"What did your brothers say?" Ashitaka asked.

"Takeru wasn't happy about it, but my other brother and I managed to convince him that I didn't come with you because you made me."

"I see," Ashitaka replied, smiling. He put his head next to San's and brushed his cheek with hers.

"I love you, Ashitaka," she said, leaning back on him.

"And I, you, San."

He lovingly caressed her cheek and took a close look at the tattoos on her face.

"These marks on your face... They look like fangs," he said.

"My mother made the marks for me. They're permanent, so there's no getting rid of them."

"My love for you goes beyond appearances, San..." Ashitaka whispered into her ear.

San closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that Ashitaka gave her. This was different from any other warmth she had ever felt from Moro, her fur cape, her brothers' fur or her bearskin blanket. She held the spear and placed it on her lap, both arms in front. She fell asleep, the cool morning air making her eyes tired. The cool air gave way to the heat as the sun slowly rose to the sky, beaming its light down upon the forest.

Yakkul stopped outside Ashitaka's residence. Ashitaka dismounted, still holding onto a sleeping San. His left arm held her legs up and his right supported her back, neck and shoulders. The spear she carried fell to the ground silently and Ashitaka entered his home. He placed her on the bed he had made with materials from Iron Town. He picked up the spear and placed it at one end of the rather large residence, then let Yakkul graze on the grass not far away. He sat on the available space on the bed, placing San's head on his lap. She was beautiful, especially when asleep. He caressed her skin with his left hand, then ran his fingers through her hair in a slow, controlled manner.

Her eyes snapped open and her muscles tensed, just like an animal would upon awakening. Seeing Ashitaka, she relaxed and lay on his lap, Ashitaka's hand stroking her hair.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" asked Ashitaka. San shook her head in reply.

"_She definitely won't want food from Iron Town..._" Ashitaka thought. San gazed into his eyes and as if she knew what he was thinking, she suggested hunting some of the wildlife for food. Ashitaka smiled and agreed. They both took their weapons and mounted Yakkul after carefully checking for defects.

"What do we hunt?" asked Ashitaka.

"Anything you want," she replied. Ashitaka decided on hunting for fish in the lake, which the Forest Spirit had miraculously cleaned of pollution and which was full of life again. The lake was nearby, but they brought Yakkul along anyway. They made their way to the lake and waded in, Yakkul grazing patiently, carrying Ashitaka's hood, which was on the saddle. Ashitaka watched as San used her spear to pin the fish to the bottom of the lake then pick them up, then he realised that he didn't have anything of the sort. San continued her attack on the fish and headed towards the bank, where the great red elk continued grazing. He looked at his hands and lunged toward a fish, grasping for it. He repeated the process several times, to which San laughed. Ashitaka was soaked completely from head to toe and still he caught nothing, whereas San was already on the bank eating her fish raw. Ashitaka laughed at himself and headed back to shore and lay on the ground, drenched in water from his head down, still laughing. He looked at San, whose mouth was dripping with the blood of the fish she was eating.

"What?" she asked.

"It's nothing. You don't cook your food before eating it, do you?"

"Cook?"

Ashitaka chuckled. "We use dry wood and light it, then we place our food over it to make the food safer and cleaner."

"Why don't you just eat the food? It takes less time and isn't that bad," San replied.

"I think I'm just too used to the way I was brought up. Nothing I ate was raw until you nursed me back to health that day," he said. He was tired and was trying to catch his breath. He relaxed and closed his eyes, breathing fast and deeply with his mouth open.

"Then let me give you a taste of raw food again," San teasingly said. Ashitaka was about to ask what she meant, but his mouth was suddenly filled with fish and his eyes shot open. He saw that San was using the same method of getting him to eat as the time when he was simply too exhausted to chew the food he was given. The food slid down his throat as he swallowed, but their lips remained connected for a while. San got up and continued eating her fish. Ashitaka smiled and wiped the blood off his lips and rose to a sitting position. He took one of the fish that San had caught and bit into it. This was the first time he had eaten raw fish and was surprised by the blood spilling onto the ground as he bit into the fish.

After eating, he and San washed their arms and faces of the blood of the fish.

"You wanna catch some more?" asked San, smiling.

"I can't catch fish with my hands, but I certainly can catch you!" came the reply from a grinning Ashitaka as he jumped toward San and brought her underwater with him. Bubbles bobbed to the surface as Ashitaka tickled San underwater. Eventually, Ashitaka couldn't hold his breath any longer and went to the surface to catch a deep breath of air. He looked around, but San was nowhere to be found.

"San? San! Where are you?!" he shouted. San burst from the water and dragged him down with her, face-to-face. Ashitaka held her right hand and their fingers intertwined. Their legs slowly kicked, propelling them toward the bank slowly. Ashitaka smiled and held her close with his right hand until they reached the bank. Ashitaka removed his shirt and twisted it to dry it as far as possible. San grabbed her spear and ran toward Yakkul, water dripping from her wet clothes.

A sudden explosion occurred, shaking the ground and causing Yakkul, Ashitaka and San to lose their balance and fall. A great plume of smoke billowed from Iron Town.

"I must go to Iron Town and check on them, San. I'm sorry, San, but I'll be back. I promise you," Ashitaka abruptly said as he mounted Yakkul, putting on his shirt. "I know you don't want to go near the humans there, but I don't want to leave you here, San."

"I can take care of myself! You can go help those damn humans!" San shouted angrily as Ashitaka rode away on Yakkul. She placed the spear on the ground in the residence, then removed her clothing and dried them like Ashitaka did. She sat on the bed as her wet clothes dried on a table.

Ashitaka could only watch as the desperate townspeople tried to put out the spreading fire, which was beginning to consume the building itself.

"What happened?" questioned Ashitaka.

"Apparently someone decided that we should stop our business here and tried to destroy the bellows. The only thing that could have possibly caused an explosion of this scale would be gunpowder, of which we have plenty. Only I, Gonza and the lepers know where the gunpowder is stored," Eboshi replied calmly. The desperate townspeople continued trying to put out the fires, forming human chains to pass buckets of water to and from the lake and the bellows.

"Unless... One of the lepers betrayed us. Jigo didn't die, am I correct?" continued Eboshi. Ashitaka nodded.

"What reason would the leper have to betray us?" asked Ashitaka.

"Jigo may have had a leper infiltrate my ranks and sabotage me. For precisely what reason is unclear, but it definitely has to do with money. Jigo cannot resist great offers of money and will do anything for it," Eboshi answered.

"Jigo... That bastard," Ashitaka said to himself.

"How's the wolf-girl?" Eboshi asked.

"She still hates you and your people," came the reply.

"As expected. We'll have the fire under control and we'll maintain the truce. The townspeople who go to the nearest town to buy food have occasionally seen Jigo's men loitering outside the forest. They may be watching you, Ashitaka. Be careful."

Ashitaka waved goodbye to the townspeople and rode back to his residence.

Meanwhile, San's clothes had already dried very much. She put them on and fondled the crystal dagger again. Her extra-sensitive ears picked up the sound of Yakkul's galloping and her face lit up. She headed outside to wait for Ashitaka. A dart flew from between a tree's leaves and hit San's neck. She removed it, but began feeling dizzy and eventually she collapsed, after which two monks wearing the usual combination of clothes Jigo did picked her up. They turned and ran as Ashitaka arrived. Jigo jumped down from a tree, to the surprise of Ashitaka.

"Well, well, well... Looks like our little Princess is going to bring me a fortune! Since I couldn't bring the head of the Forest Spirit to the Emperor, he's told me to bring the wolf-girl to him. The shoguns want her so that their sons can choose whether to marry her, and I'm gonna get a mountain of gold for it! Hahaha!" Jigo taunted in his usual tone. He smiled and ran away, chased by Ashitaka.

"Jigo!" Ashitaka yelled as he chased after Jigo through the forest, all the way to the farming town he passed on his way to Iron Town. There, he saw a samurai camp. The entire village had been torn down and bodies lay everywhere. San was tied to a stake and surrounded by Jigo's monks and the samurai of several shoguns.

Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul, bow in hand, quiver full of arrows strapped to his body and short sword on his left hip. San woke up and looked at Ashitaka. She called out to him, but was silenced by a piece of cloth. Ashitaka approached and readied an arrow. A samurai approached San, caressing her skin, causing her great discomfort.

"Touch her again and I will kill you!" Ashitaka shouted with a commanding voice, aiming his arrow at the samurai.

"And what if I do?" the samurai taunted, tearing off San's first layer of clothing. Ashitaka had had enough. With a yell of pure rage, he let his arrow fly at the samurai. The arrow ripped the samurai's head off his shoulders and pinned it to the ruins of a destroyed house.

"Anybody else want a turn?" Ashitaka angrily asked. The samurai stood up, their blades shining in the morning sun. Jigo's monks readied their darts and daggers to fight with Ashitaka. "I will not return to the forest without San."

"And I can't see the emperor without the wolf-girl," Jigo warned, smiling sinisterly. One of the samurai licked San's cheek in a perverse manner, causing her to cringe and get angry. She bit the samurai's nose, causing it to bleed severely. The samurai in turn slapped her face.

Enough was enough. Ashitaka let his second arrow fly and tear the second samurai's private organs apart. Around him, the wind began to blow. His hood, pulled back, flailed wildly as Ashitaka's right arm began emitting a bluish light. He grabbed his short sword and charged forward...

End Chapter One

Jikuuharuto: Hey people! Thanks SO MUCH for reading! I don't think I captured the personalities of San and Ashitaka, though. Please read and review honestly (and don't be too blunt, I'm just a teenager doing something he likes during his holidays! XD)! Positive and negative CONSTRUCTIVE comments are welcome! Without reviews I won't be able to improve on my writing! Thank you so much once again!

Teaser lines (not directly related) for next chapter, The Hunt Is On:

"_Are you going to move or do you want me to kill you?"_

"He... That monster... You don't want to be with me anymore..." 


	2. The Hunt Is On

Back To The Forest 

A Princess Mononoke fan story

By Jikuuharuto

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this writing except for my idea.

Chapter Two: The Hunt Is On

WORD OF CAUTION: MILD INNUENDO PRESENT.

Ashitaka charged forward and attacked the samurai and monks. The monks' darts bounced off the samurai armour as Ashitaka weaved in and out of the group of samurai.

"You will not stop Master Jigo!" a monk exclaimed.

One samurai got into a weapon deadlock with Ashitaka. "Our Lords will be pleased to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law! Hahahahaha!" he said. This further angered Ashitaka, who could no longer control himself. His sword cut right through the samurai's katana and sliced his head in half. While he was fighting, Jigo and two monks removed the stake and ran off. The wolves howled and charged out from the forest toward the surprised monks and samurai.

"Go, Ashitaka!" Takeshi instructed as he attacked the humans he and his brother despised oh-so-much.

"If anything happens to San, you pay the price, human!" Takeru threatened just before he crunched a samurai's torso in his mouth, removing the lower legs, head and half of the right arm from it. Ashitaka nodded and mounted Yakkul, then chased after Jigo, bow and arrow ready to attack. "You'd better bring her back!" Takeru warned.

"The hunt is on, Jigo," Ashitaka mumbled to himself. No matter how he chased the false monk, the potbelly always managed to escape. Many days passed. Ashitaka couldn't stop worrying about San. What if the monks did something to her? What if the Emperor killed her? What if they... Ashitaka mentally slapped himself for thinking this way. He would never be able to catch up to those damned monks if he kept distracting himself. Like a man possessed, he tracked down Jigo wherever he went, sometimes even forgoing sleep or meals.

Every day was torture. Waking up without San by his side caused him to worry and get angry. Every time he saw the monks, it infuriated him to think that he had ever been acquainted with Jigo, although he never showed it openly. He constantly kept a lookout for any usable arrows or material that could be made into arrows, since he had a limited supply of them. He just wanted San back by his side and nothing more. If anything untoward ever happened to her, he would never forgive himself for it.

Eventually, he ended up in the imperial capital of Kyoto. He decided to leave Yakkul outside, because it would definitely arouse suspicion of his origins. He marched in, hood on to cover his face. He could see Jigo running into the city and immediately he chased after the monks, who were no longer carrying the stake. Instead they had bound San's limbs and gagged her with cloth, only taking it out to let her eat. She only ate when she felt like dying, so she now had no energy to struggle against her bonds. She still had her looks, but was weakened by skipping meals. Ashitaka was somewhat relieved that the monks hadn't done anything to harm her superficially.

Two samurai armed with spears blocked Ashitaka's path as he ran forward.

"State your business!" one of them demanded.

"I'm here for the girl. Step aside," Ashitaka calmly said. "Don't force me to kill you."

The samurai laughed. "Kill us, you boy? I doubt you could do anything of the sort. Now turn back and go home, before I change my mind about letting you leave unharmed," he scoffed. Ashitaka's arm was emitting that strange blue light again. He looked at his hand; the curse was apparently still there, but no longer spread. Now he was going to use the power of the curse to bring back San. He was learning to control the curse, but it seemed to become active on its own because of overwhelming emotions.

"Step... aside," Ashitaka warned again as his the wind began blowing fiercely. The guards laughed and shoved him, as if humiliating him. He grabbed his short sword and charged forward, slicing the guards in half. He charged into the courtyard, where the Emperor patiently sat as the shoguns' sons argued as to who would take San for his wife. Jigo smiled, thinking his future was guaranteed to be bright. However, Ashitaka had slain every last guard all the way to the courtyard and he had shown himself. Jigo and his monks turned to face Ashitaka, who was calmly walking toward San, who lay in what was apparently the centre.

"You, boy! Show the due respect to the Emperor and the shoguns! Nobody simply steps in!" one samurai yelled, brandishing his katana.

"I have come for the girl," Ashitaka said loudly and monotonously.

"Turn back before we are forced to take action on you, boy," warned an impatient shogun.

"Jigo... If the shoguns are not satisfied by today, I shall have your head," the Emperor said with a commanding voice. Jigo smiled and whispered to Ashitaka.

"Come on now, boy! I'll give you half the mountain of gold I'm promised!" Jigo offered. Ashitaka's face showed no change.

"No. I'm taking San with me and nothing will stop me," he said. Jigo retreated to San's side in the centre of the imperial court.

"Kill him," the Emperor ordered. Playing the Emperor's game, the samurai attacked Ashitaka. He fought valiantly, but still he could not defeat such a great army of samurai.

"Wait! I want him alive," Lord Asano shouted just as a samurai was about to pierce Ashitaka's heart with his katana held high above his head. Pinning Ashitaka to the ground, they punched him, knocking him unconscious.

"We shall have a show for him in a few days... Throw him in prison!" Lord Asano ordered.

In his cell, Ashitaka awoke. He punched the steel grilles that stopped him from leaving the cell.

"Quiet! We have a show lined up for you in a few days, boy! You're lucky that Lord Asano was merciful and stopped our samurai from killing you! Now shut up until we bring you to the chamber!"

"Show? What show?!" demanded Ashitaka. It wasn't like him to get so excited, but when it came to San, he was sometimes a completely different person. He sat down in his cell and mentally relived his memories. He remembered when he first saw San. She was sucking out the poisoned blood from Moro's chest and spitting it out. The sight of her blood-covered mouth region reminded him of his breakfast with San more than a week ago. They were both so elated then. It was as if they had their own world and were living in absolute happiness. However, this was a dream shattered by Jigo. He had taken away Ashitaka's love and thus taken away the only happiness he had. He could no longer return to his village, because he would have gone against an ancient custom of the Emishi people.

He remembered Kaya. She was close to him, but only as a sister. There was no special attraction between the two of them, but they were still close enough to be siblings. Everything about the Emishi people added to his sadness. He was happy, yet sad that Nago had cursed him and driven him from his village. He was happy because the curse brought him to this love and happiness, but sad because his happiness was now taken away and he could not return to his village. Thoughts ran wild in his mind as tears began falling freely from his eyes. He even thought about not being with San and just going back to the forest to be slain by the wolves. Then he mentally slapped himself again. He chastised himself for thinking this way. If he went back and got killed, it would still not bring San to him. He had to find a way to bring San back to the forest. He felt so tired. The happenings so far had taxed him emotionally and sapped him so much. He simply lay on the cold, hard ground and fell asleep.

The process of thinking about how to save San and reliving his memories continued for days. One night, the guards opened his cell door and ordered him to get out.

"Lord Asano has summoned you," one guard said as another bound his wrists together behind his back. He was pushed and prodded towards one of the vacant chambers that now had a bed on it. There lay a tired, bound San who had absolutely no way to fight with her captors. She was simply too exhausted to do anything. Lord Asano stood in front of Ashitaka and laughed.

"Hahaha... Watch as my son has fun with this girl... It will be a pleasant show... Hahahahaha!" Asano gloated. His son stripped and removed San's gag and bonds.

"Ashitaka... Help..." San managed. She watched as the filthy human- no, he was worse than human- caressed her skin. "No... Stop..."

Ashitaka was infuriated. His hands struggled against the tight ropes. The tension of the ropes increased with every passing second as the guards and Asano laughed. The bastard inside the room was going to violate her! He could only watch as the bastard tore what remained of San's tattered clothes apart and proceeded to commit an immoral act, inducing loud screams of pain. Asano continued to laugh, which further angered Ashitaka whose arms threatened to tear through the ropes.

"How do you like the show? Hahahahaha!" gloated Asano again. Ashitaka had put up with these atrocities long enough. The blue light surrounded his arm again. The ropes snapped and Ashitaka slammed one samurai into Asano, knocking them both unconscious. He took another's katana and killed him, then dashed into the room and pulled the bastard away and threw him into a corner, slamming him into the brick wall and leaving an imprint of his body. He could smell urine in the room already.

"Asano, I can forgive. But you..." Ashitaka said. The curse was taking control of him; he didn't even know what he was saying or doing anymore. He lunged forward towards the screaming man and stomped hard on his private organs. "I'll let you off with a warning."

The screaming man started to whimper and bit his lip as the feeling of pain surged through his entire body. He removed his shirt and covered San's bare torso, then used the blanket to wrap around her, covering the rest of her body.

"He... he... Ashitaka!" San exclaimed as tears continuously flowed down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, San. Don't cry. I'm getting you out of here," he said. "Your brother told me to bring you back and I will." San could only continue to cry as Ashitaka carried her the same way he did when he brought her to his residence. Samurai stood in his way, but they dared not touch the Mononoke, for they had heard rumours of her slaying entire legions of people caught in the Forbidden Forest. Archers aimed at Ashitaka, ready to shoot their arrows. One samurai stood in his way, refusing to move.

"Are you going to move or do you want me to kill you?" Ashitaka calmly demanded.

"I'm Lady Eboshi's spy! I'm going to get you out of here! Your elk's waiting outside the gate. Hurry, we don't have much time," whispered the samurai.

"What reason do I have to believe that this isn't a lie?" questioned Ashitaka.

"Either you follow me and live or you die with the Mononoke. It's your choice!" replied the spy. Ashitaka nodded and ran after the spy, who cut down the surprised archers.

"Keep running and don't look back!" the spy instructed as he turned and threw a ball of iron filled with gunpowder that had a lit fuse attached to it at the incoming guards. The guards watched as the ball exploded, killing them. Archers shot at the spy, whose armour deflected the arrows well. However, as he ran, an arrow found its way to his lower back. The spy fell and Ashitaka turned to look at him.

"I told you not to look back..." the spy mumbled as he lit a second bomb. The guards that trampled over him failed to notice the bomb and were either blown apart or sent flying. Ashitaka ran toward Yakkul, relieved to find his faithful elk there. He mounted Yakkul with San in his arms.

"Run, Yakkul! Run! Back to the forest!" he ordered. Yakkul reared back and galloped faster than any horse ever did, charging all the way out of Yoshino. He noticed that San was asleep, but her face was still wet with the remaining tears. He used his thumbs and wiped her tears away and also began to let tears fall from his eyes. He had failed to protect her. "I should never have left for Iron Town," he told himself.

The next morning, San awoke, still wrapped in Ashitaka's shirt and the blanket. Her head was on Ashitaka's lap and he was stroking her hair. Ashitaka smiled when he saw her awake. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fought to keep them back while sniffling.

"Don't cry, San."

"He... That monster... You don't want to be with me anymore..." she managed to say as she continued to fight her tears back.

"San... It's alright. I love you and I won't just leave you because of something like that, San. Forget what happened. I'll never leave you again, San," he said as he stroked her hair once. Instead of fighting her tears, she let them flow freely. He held her to his chest for a while, then lay her head on his hood to hunt for food with the katana he had procured. He returned with fresh meat in his blood-covered hands. He washed the meat in a pond nearby, then bit a section off and chewed, then fed her the way she fed him before. She swallowed the soft meat and smiled weakly.

"You helped me once when I was weakened and now I'm returning the favour," said Ashitaka, smiling as well. "Forget what happened in the city, San. We're going home."

Using the most direct paths he could find, Yakkul brought his riders back to the forest in the late afternoon, less than a week after the escape. San was still wrapped in the blanket, because neither Ashitaka nor San could make any clothing without any materials for clothes.

Takeru growled when he saw San not wearing her usual clothes.

"What happened to San?! Where are her garments?!" demanded an angered Takeru.

"San was... violated."

"You fiend! You betrayed my trust! I entrusted my sister to you and this is how you treat her! I should never have let San go!" Takeru growled. He leapt toward Ashitaka, who was still on Yakkul. Yakkul panicked and ran aside, causing Takeru to land and skid on the ground, leaving marks in the dirt path.

"Leave him alone! It was my fault! He had to check on Iron Town but I refused to follow him, so those damn humans took the opportunity to grab me. Takeru... It's not his fault," San explained. Takeru growled, then lowered his head and made his way back to the forest with his brother.

"You'd better take care of her... This is the last chance I'm giving you, human... My patience wears thin!" Takeru cautioned sternly. Ashitaka nodded in acknowledgement and patted Yakkul's neck, telling him to go back to the residence.

At his home, Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul, still holding onto San. He placed her on the bed gently and said, "San, I'm going to Iron Town. Don't worry. I'm going to tell them to make or get new clothes for you, San."

"Ashitaka, I think I can make a tunic out of this black blanket," she replied.

"But... Alright, San, but I still think you'll need some way to hold the material together so that it won't tear apart so easily. Besides that, it won't last very long. There are definitely people in Iron Town who know how to make clothes, so please, San. We must go to Iron Town."

"I'll go, but I don't want to stay long or be disturbed by those humans. I hate them!" she replied, showing her obvious abhorrence for humans. Ashitaka nodded and went outside, where he heard sounds of the blanket getting cut and torn by a blade.

"Why are you standing outside, Ashitaka?" San asked innocently. Ashitaka made no reply, but she immediately assumed that it was one of those strange human customs. She finished making the temporary clothing and realised that she had left her fur coat behind. She put it on to hide any openings at the side of her garment, because the blanket was rectangular and had a greater length then breadth. The temporary clothing was more like an oversized shirt. The lower sections of it would move here and there, unlike when she was wearing her original clothes. They were far more comfortable than what she was wearing presently.

She and Ashitaka made their way to Iron Town and were immediately permitted entrance. The people were still suspicious of San and she still bore deep hatred towards the humans although she no longer showed it obviously. It was something that would need a lot of time to change.

They dismounted Yakkul and Ashitaka walked towards the bellows. Luckily, Toki was there resting from working the rebuilt bellows.

"Toki, I need to speak to you," he said. Toki rose to her feet and walked calmly towards Ashitaka and asked what he wanted to talk about.

"You see... San needs new clothes. Something happened to her and I'd rather not talk about it. You remember how her clothes looked like, right? Could you please see if anyone could make the clothes for her?" asked Ashitaka.

"Lady Eboshi recently brought in some women who gave up their job in the garment business. You can ask her to take you to them so you can get her clothes done. I'll be there when my shift's over to describe how it looks like, so you go on ahead first," replied Toki with a smile. Ashitaka thanked her and returned to San and Yakkul.

"Eboshi recruited some people who used to make clothes. Do you want to come with me to see Eboshi and ask her to take us to them?" Ashitaka asked, placing a hand on San's shoulder. As much as San hated Eboshi, she needed new clothes. Moro had taught her that she had to clothe herself so that she would not attract unwelcome attention from men and she was not about to disobey her mother. She put her hand on his and nodded, to which Ashitaka smiled. The people of Iron Town went back to their business after a good scolding from Gonza, who stood next to Eboshi.

"Lady Eboshi, we were just about to look for you," Ashitaka said. San looked away. She simply could not stand the sight of that woman. Ashitaka explained the situation and Eboshi brought them and Yakkul to a building in Iron Town that was cleared of iron works and dedicated to making and repairing clothes.

"Ashitaka, leave San and I in here for a while. You said that Toki knows what her clothes look like, right? Then go get her. Tell her that she has been excused from her shift. Gonza stand outside," Eboshi said as a reluctant San stepped into the enclosed building. Eboshi closed the door and spoke to San.

"I know you hate me for shooting your mother and destroying your forest, but I did that because I had to protect my people and provide for them. I had to fell the trees because we needed the wood," Eboshi explained.

"Stop lying to me! You humans... you're so selfish!" San retorted. "You didn't only take what you needed! You defiled the forest by cutting down entire sections of it just to build this place!"

Eboshi was speechless. "Whatever I say will not change your mentality. Very well, I will no longer explain myself. I just want to say that I have no intention of harming your forest any more than can be helped. Please excuse us if we cut down some trees, because we need firewood. But don't worry, because we have a truce. I will not go beyond what is needed."

San did not reply. Just as Eboshi finished, Toki entered the building. She tried to tell San that the workers needed her measurements before they could start working on the clothes. All manner of persuasion failed and Ashitaka was called in. He was the only person that San trusted and listened to. He managed to coax her into letting the women take her measurements and adjust her current clothes for her.

"Alright, but I won't stand for anything more than that. I want to get out of here!" San answered. Ashitaka thanked her for not the worsening problems at hand. Eboshi called the women out and told her to take San's measurements as quickly as possible and scrap all their current work to make San's clothes and to adjust the ones she was wearing.

"Meet me by the lake at noon in two days to collect your clothes," Eboshi told Ashitaka and San.

"Two days, My Lady?!" exclaimed the women.

"Is there a problem?" Eboshi asked.

"No, no, My Lady! We would be glad to help!" the women replied as they hurriedly went to work on the garments. Ashitaka thanked Eboshi and left Iron Town on Yakkul. It was already the evening and they were getting hungry. When they reached Ashitaka's residence, they dismounted Yakkul and let him graze on the plentiful grass.

"So... Shall we hunt for deer?" asked Ashitaka. He wanted to help San forget the incident that night.

San nodded, but before Ashitaka could say anything, she added, "I have one request. I want my brothers to join us."

Ashitaka nodded and held San close to himself. Ashitaka then broke the embrace and grabbed the katana he had acquired from Yoshino while San donned her mask and grabbed her spear. While he was waiting for her, she fondled the crystal dagger he had given her. She then followed after him and mounted Yakkul, who dashed toward the wolves' den.

Upon arrival at the wolves' den, San dismounted and dashed inside to invite her brothers while Ashitaka waited. Takeru was initially reluctant, but was coaxed into coming along. Takeshi was not about to waste a chance to spend time with his sister and to help Takeru accept Ashitaka. Together, they set off, hunting the deer. The wolves and San managed to pick up the scent of the deer. San jumped into a tree and moved through the treetops, whereas Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul and followed the wolves on foot.

The grazing deer were in sight. San yelled a battle cry and struck one deer in the side with her spear. Immediately she grabbed her dagger and cut its throat swiftly and smoothly.

Takeru had pounced but missed a deer, but Ashitaka blocked it and stabbed it, making it easy prey for Takeru. Takeshi did not have trouble with the deer. He preferred to hunt the more agile deer, unlike his brother, Takeru who preferred slower prey that moved like boars. The remaining deer scattered and galloped away in panic, leaving San, Ashitaka and the wolves to feed on the spoils of their hunt.

San would never be able to finish the deer alone, so she decided to share it with Ashitaka. Ashitaka watched as she skilfully skinned the deer's carcass. Never before had he seen anyone skin a deer so quickly with a dagger such as hers. San pulled back the hood of her fur cape after she finished skinning the carcass and looked at Ashitaka.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just that I've never seen someone skin a carcass so skilfully."

San smiled. Ashitaka was going to have to get used to eating raw meat. He was unused to it because the Emishi had taught him to cook all food before eating and although he was dead to them, he had to at least remember the Emishi way.

After dinner, San bade goodbye to her brothers and returned with Ashitaka to his residence. A candle lamp on a table was the only illumination that was available, so the residence was relatively dim. Yakkul lay on the patch of grass outside the residence and rested, for he was tired. Ashitaka lay his katana on the ground and promptly lay on his bed, only to be pounced on by San, who simply threw her spear aside on the way. Ashitaka grunted as San landed on his abdomen.

"I'm tired, Ashitaka..." she said as she got off him.

"Then sleep on the bed," he said as he got up.

"Why are you getting up?"

"I'm sleeping on the floor."

"What for?"

"Well... I'm not supposed to share a bed with anyone other than my family members..."

"Another human custom," San mumbled to herself. With a grin, she pushed Ashitaka onto the bed and lay on him. "You're not sleeping on the floor, Ashitaka. I won't let you."

Ashitaka sighed and looked at San, who was looking at him in almost the same manner. He took the candle lamp from the bedside table and blew it out, then held her closer to him as he lay on the bed.

"Ashitaka..." San called softly.

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get this dagger?"

"Didn't Yakkul tell you? In my village, there was this particular girl, Kaya, I was very close to."

Her face showed signs of disappointment, then a bit of jealousy, well hidden by the darkness of Ashitaka's humble abode.

"When I left, she gave me this dagger as her symbol of eternal love, San. Now it is mine to you."

San's expression changed. She lay her head on Ashitaka's chest and slowly but surely fell asleep, Ashitaka lovingly stroking her hair. He fell asleep as well, arms wound around her.

End Chapter Two

Jikuuharuto: Hey people! Thanks SO MUCH for reading! Please read and review honestly (and don't be too blunt, I'm just a teenager doing something he likes during his holidays! XD)! Positive and negative CONSTRUCTIVE comments are welcome! Without reviews I won't be able to improve on my writing! Thank you so much once again!

Teaser lines for next chapter, The Journey Home:

"You came back!"

"I came home."

Kindly don't blame me for any mistakes as to time and location. As Shinra of FFX-2 would say, "I'm just a kid." :D


	3. The Journey Home

Back To The Forest 

A Princess Mononoke fan story

By Jikuuharuto

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this writing except for my idea and my original character, Fuji.

Chapter 3: The Journey Home

WORD OF CAUTION: MILD INNUENDO PRESENT IN LATER SECTION.

Ashitaka awoke and saw San still lying on his rising and falling chest. He put his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. Her hair felt soft and smooth to the touch. The only time he could truly admire her beauty without her noticing was when she was still asleep.

"San. San, wake up," Ashitaka said, gently shaking San's shoulders. When she awoke, her muscles tensed and she looked at her surroundings before she relaxed, just like an animal would.

"Let's go, San. I'm feeling hungry," he said.

"Are we gonna catch fish again?" San asked, smiling. Ashitaka chuckled and asked her to get off him.

"Why don't we eat some fruit instead?" suggested Ashitaka. San shrugged and agreed, though she was always more like a carnivore. And thus, they went about a small section of the forest, gathering all sorts of fruits and naturally grown food. Once they found that they had enough, they sat in the undergrowth and ate the fruit.

"I never knew fruit tasted this good," Ashitaka said after swallowing a mouthful of berries.

"They never tasted so good before... It could be because my mother brought me up, only feeding me and teaching me to hunt for meat or maybe it's because of the Forest Spirit. It might have made the fruit and the trees grow better after that day," San replied.

"That's possible," Ashitaka said.

"San... You know, I can't keep using this sword forever. It won't last. I need a bow. I don't think the wood here would make good bows, though..." Ashitaka said after he finished his food.

"A bow... I can't help you there. Even if you could find the right wood, there's nothing for your bowstring."

Ashitaka sighed and looked up at the treetops. Kodamas materialised out of thin air, doing their usual clicking sounds. Ashitaka smiled and watched as the Kodamas looked at him curiously, clicking repeatedly.

The pair swam together in the lake just before noon, in their own little world. The people in Iron Town who weren't working gathered to watch as they swam, including Kouroku and Toki.

"My little flower... I wish we could be like them," Kouroku said. Toki placed her elbow on the surface of the palisade and rested her cheek on her palm, then sighed.

"They're so happy together..." she mumbled.

"What was that?" asked Kouroku.

"Oh, go away or I'll break your arm!" Toki snapped. Kouroku did as told and went to get his lunch. Eboshi joined the people and watched Ashitaka and San in the water.

"Heh. He seems to be getting along well with his precious Mononoke. How's the progress on her clothes, Toki?" Eboshi said first to Gonza, then to Toki.

"Oh, it's going fast, Lady Eboshi! We might even have it finished tonight!"

"I told Ashitaka that I'd give him the clothes tomorrow, and that I will. No earlier, no later. Just make sure it's done by tomorrow."

"Yes, milady!"

That night, Ashitaka had a dream different from the ones he always had about his life as it was now. He dreamt that Kaya and a man he did not recognise, though familiar, were riding their way through a forest and across a bridge on one of the Emishi elks. He suddenly awoke and said, "Kaya!" loud enough to wake San. His breathing was faster than normal and this surprised a semi-conscious San.

"What happened?" she asked as Ashitaka fall back down on the bed.

"It... It's nothing. I dreamt of my village," he said, placing his right hand on San's head. San blinked a few times, then snuggled closer to Ashitaka, whose left arm held her to him. She was literally breathing down his neck with her face so close to his. Her left arm stretched across Ashitaka's chest, with her forearm perpendicular to that direction.

Ashitaka wondered if his dream was trying to tell him something, but went back to sleep instead.

At noon, he and San went to meet Eboshi at the lakeside. Toki was carrying an exquisitely decorated box, which contained the clothes made to fit San perfectly. Ashitaka bowed and received the box.

"Thank you, Eboshi," Ashitaka said. Eboshi smiled.

"Take it as a tribute to the forest. We don't want to harm it more than can be helped," replied Eboshi. She turned and walked back to Iron Town as Ashitaka turned to San.

"Let's go. Try your clothes on at home," Ashitaka said. San smiled and took the box in her hands.

Back at Ashitaka's residence, San had already changed out of the uncomfortable blanket-made garment and was putting on the new clothing. She walked out of the doorway and Ashitaka immediately asked, "How does it fit? Does it feel like your old clothes?"

San simply hugged Ashitaka, reminded of the incidents a few weeks ago. Ashitaka held her to himself, comforting her as best he could through silence. Ashitaka felt the urge to turn his head and look in the direction of Iron Town all of a sudden, and turn he did. The sight he saw shocked him. There were two people riding an elk and immediately he suspected that it was Kaya, the mysterious man and the elk.

"San... I have to go to Iron Town and see for myself who's on the elk. Go on Yakkul to your brothers, you'll be safe with them," Ashitaka said. San looked confused and had a slight hint of anger for a while, but eventually she mounted Yakkul. Ashitaka turned and shouted, "I promise you that I'll come for you by tonight!" He then jumped into the lake and swam toward the Iron Town gates.

"I wonder what Ashitaka's up to, Yakkul..." San said. She was talking to Yakkul, but he refused to respond. "Never mind, Yakkul. Just go to my brothers."

At the entrance to Iron Town, women armed with Ishibiya took aim at the elk and its riders.

"We mean you no harm!" the man on the elk shouted. Ashitaka reached the lake and saw that Kaya was on the elk as well. His eyes widened and he immediately ran to her.

"Kaya! What're you doing out here? You shouldn't be here! Why aren't you back home?!" asked Ashitaka. "Don't tell me you cut your hair just to look for me!"

"No, Ashitaka... I was sent by the wise woman to look for you. We aren't going by the old laws anymore, Ashitaka. We want you back and we need a leader," she explained.

One of the women fired a shot and demanded that the strangers identify themselves.

"Wait! They mean you no harm! They are my friends!" Ashitaka shouted. "Please, let them through and give them a place to stay!"

The gates were immediately opened and the group went inside to explain the situation to Eboshi.

"Don't worry, Madam. We won't be long. We're just here to take Ashitaka back home," the unknown man said.

"Take him back home? Why? And where?" asked Eboshi.

"We no longer follow our old customs and we need him back," Kaya replied. "As for where, I cannot tell you."

Eboshi nodded. She put her arm up to stop Gonza from pulling out his blade rashly.

"Bring me back?! But..."

"Where's your heart, Ashitaka? With your home or with someone else?" asked a teary Kaya. Ashitaka could not reply in a way that would please both San and Kaya.

"I... cannot go," Ashitaka said.

"But... It's your home!" Kaya said, hugging him. Ashitaka made no reply. However, once they left the building, Ashitaka demanded the man's identity.

"Have you forgotten your own childhood playmate and good friend, Ashitaka?" asked the man as he pulled the hair covering his right eye back, revealing a scar that stretched downwards across his eye, which was now shut and useless. He then let his hair fall and cover his eye again.

"You're... Fuji! It's been too long!" Ashitaka exclaimed, his expression brightening somewhat. Ashitaka had caused the scar, because he had been training with Fuji and accidentally cut him.

"Much has happened, Ashitaka. Everyone insisted that the old laws be abolished just so that you could come back. Everyone needs and wants you now. You must return."

"I... I must go to the forest. I'll talk to you tomorrow!" Ashitaka said as he pulled on his hood and mask, then sprinted toward the wolves' den. Never before had he run so fast. Thoughts ran wild in his mind once again. Would he return to the Emishi and leave San behind or would he forsake his own home? There was no way that San would follow him to his village. She had to stay to make sure that Eboshi didn't destroy the forest in her absence, and besides that, she hated humans.

"_Now what... Where do I go? What do I do? I don't know anymore..._" Ashitaka thought as he approached the wolves' den. San and Yakkul were waiting on the rocks for him. San stood up and smiled at him as he approached then ran to meet him with an embrace, but he broke away soon after.

"San... The people on the elk were from my village. They want me to go back, San. I... I know I can't bring you along, but... San... I can't stay here."

San's expression turned from shock to anger mixed with sadness. She punched and pushed him away, then while running into the den, shouted, "Go back to your damn village and help your stupid humans! I hate you all! I hate you! You told me you would never leave me but now you're breaking your promise, you liar! Just go away!"

San's words pained him more than a knife through his heart ever would. He ran after her, but was blocked and pushed away by Takeru.

"Leave, boy, or I shall kill you," Takeru fiercely warned, baring his fangs. Takeshi shook his head, then stared at Yakkul as if to communicate. Yakkul immediately turned around and Ashitaka took this to be a signal to leave. He mounted Yakkul, who slowly trotted back to Iron Town.

The next morning, he and his friends mounted their respective elks, then bade goodbye to the people of Iron Town, heading back to the Emishi village. Ashitaka was staring into blank space, visibly saddened. This continued for a long time, even far away from Iron Town, Ashitaka continued staring into space.

San and her brother Takeshi were hiding in the dense undergrowth, watching the two elks carry their riders.

"Are you sure about letting him go?" Takeshi asked.

"Let him go! He doesn't care about me... He only cares about those damn humans!" she replied not loud enough for the riders to hear. San rode on Takeshi back into the forest.

"What's wrong, Ashitaka?" asked Kaya after a long while of riding past the destroyed village.

"It's... I... Never mind..." Ashitaka replied. For a long time, Ashitaka was silent. Fuji and Kaya had come a long way from the Emishi village, searching for every sign of any industrial work that caused great harm to nature so that they could find Ashitaka.

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Asano and Jigo's men were marching through in great armies, cutting down trees in their search for San and Ashitaka.

Takeru noticed this and went to inform San and Takeshi.

"It's the humans! They're cutting down the trees!" he snarled. "It must be that human boy! He must have brought them here because you wouldn't follow him!"

"_No... Ashitaka would never do this to me... He loves me... He would do nothing like this..._" she thought. "Who did you see?"

"I saw a potbellied monk and many of his followers. There were also hundreds of samurai marching through."

"It must be that damn human's father and that Jigo..." San replied as she grabbed her spear. "As much as I hate her, we must tell Eboshi. We alone can't handle this army of filthy humans."

Her reluctant brothers brought her to Iron Town, where the women guarding the gate called out to her.

"Heeeyy! Where's Ashitaka?" shouted Toki. San ignored the question and went straight to the point.

"Samurai and monks are on their way through the forest! I believe that they are back for your iron!" shouted San, speaking only half the truth. Asano's main objective was to hunt down Ashitaka and San, but his secondary objective was to acquire Eboshi's iron works.

"I'll tell Lady Eboshi!" Toki said as she put her Ishibiya down and ran towards Eboshi's private garden.

"That Asano... Ready the riflemen and tell the people to be ready to fight. Assemble them and arm them, but wait for my deployment order," Eboshi commanded. She dispatched scouts out to the forest and they returned swiftly with reports of fallen trees and hundreds of samurai marching through the forest not far from Iron Town.

"So she wasn't lying... Deploy the riflemen and make sure for every 3 men there is another carrying an umbrella to block the arrows! Form the ranks as quickly as possible along the paths! Girls, make sure your rifles are loaded and ready! Reinforce the walls and make sure no samurai approach from the lake!" Eboshi approached San, who had remained mounted on Takeshi all this while.

"Princess, if you wish to defend your precious forest, you must co-operate with me, do you understand? I need you and your wolves to gather Asano's men at the top of the hill behind you. Our riflemen will then fire upon them and fall back to the walls, after which the townspeople will come out to hold the samurai back as the girls fire on them. Will you help us?" Eboshi proposed.

"I don't have a choice. I will do as you ask, but it had better not be a trap," San replied as she rode on her brother.

On the plains, Ashitaka suddenly felt his arm twitch strangely and had to suppress its movement.

"I... I must go back to the forest! I cannot go with you, my friends! I must return at once!" Ashitaka said as he turned Yakkul around.

"But..." Kaya started.

"I'm sorry, Kaya. I just... can't go with you," Ashitaka continued.

"Then, at least take these, Ashitaka," Fuji said as he handed his bow and a quiver full of arrows with stone arrowheads to him.

"My father made them, Ashitaka. Now go. Don't keep her waiting," Fuji said.

"What... How..." Ashitaka started as Fuji handed him an Emishi short sword.

"Waste no time! Go!" Fuji instructed. Ashitaka nodded and rode Yakkul back as fast as he could. He wasn't that far from the forest; he could still meet with San before sunset.

"Your trick didn't work, Kaya," Fuji said.

"I know... I just wanted him to go back..." Kaya replied with tearful eyes.

"Let's go home. Ashitaka wasn't supposed to go back anyway," said Fuji. "Were you jealous of the girl he now loves?"

"Yes... But..."

"The wise woman really is wise... She knows many things."

San had lured the samurai and the monks to the hilltop. The archers rained arrows down on the Wolf Clan, hitting Takeshi's leg. He continued running, drawing the attention of the samurai. The samurai drew their swords and immediately dashed down the narrow paths. Little did they expect that there would be riflemen hiding at every corner and in between the trees and that rifle fire would come from Iron Town itself. The armies of samurai and monks were held back, but they continued pushing forward from many directions. The samurai were riding boats towards Iron Town to assault it from all sides. Eboshi had expected this; Asano and Jigo were not great strategists and neither was Asano's military advisor.

San fought alongside the townspeople and ended the lives of several valiant samurai. Their deaths were more honourable than the death of a coward holding a rifle and shooting from afar from behind the cover of a wall. Her ferocity in battle was unlike anything ever seen by the samurai. The enemies they had encountered were not as strong or fierce as San, Princess Mononoke. It appeared that victory against Asano's men was at hand and San fought even harder, but her recklessness got her captured. Several monks grabbed her and dashed toward the hilltop where Jigo stood. Ashitaka was still riding Yakkul and he knew he was nearing Iron Town. He was surprised to hear gunshots, but he continued riding, readying an arrow in case he needed it.

San struggled against the many monks who held her.

"Well, well, well... Look who we have here. I'm not going to fail again, wolf-girl. When you escaped, the shoguns took my thumbs and the emperor removed my right ear. If I fail again, they'll behead me! But if I succeed I'll have double the amount of gold I was initially promised! Now come with me!" Jigo said.

Takeru and Takeshi, cuts everywhere, searched for their sister. They picked up her scent among the stinking humans' scents and the smell of blood and gunpowder and followed it up the path. Jigo and his men were running in the direction that Ashitaka was coming from.

The instant he saw the monks, Ashitaka let his arrow fly. Four monks were instantly decapitated, causing Jigo to flee in the opposite direction. Ashitaka shot an arrow, pinning Jigo's arm to a tree and causing him to yelp in pain. The other four monks held a struggling San and one of them placed a dagger next to her throat.

"Move and I kill her, boy!" the monk threatened. Just then, the wolves pounced on the monks, who panicked and dropped their weapons, then fled.

"You came back!" San exclaimed as Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul.

"I came home," he replied, embracing San quickly. Takeru was still growling, but instead turned and went back to Iron Town's gates to take care of the remaining samurai. He and San confronted Jigo, whose face was showing fear already. He was struggling to remove the arrow from the tree and his forearm, but simply couldn't do so. The arrow was lodged too far in the tree and he had no opposable thumbs to assist in its removal.

"Jigo... You've gone too far!" Ashitaka shouted, visibly angered.

"Kid... I can't go back without the wolf-girl. The emperor will kill me! He's already taken my ear and the shoguns took away my thumbs! I can't even hold my own chopsticks now!" replied Jigo. "Kill me, I'm going to die anyway."

"Where I come from we don't believe in killing if it's not necessary. You can go face the emperor," Ashitaka said as he ripped the arrow out, causing Jigo to yelp in pain and grab his arm with his remaining fingers. San and Ashitaka mounted Yakkul, then rode back to Iron Town down the path littered with the bodies of samurai.

"You fought them with Eboshi?"

"I didn't have a choice. I had to ask the damn woman to help because I couldn't possibly stop an entire army."

"I see," Ashitaka said as he held her the same way he did when he first brought her, mounted on Yakkul, to his residence. "Can you forgive me?"

"Why shouldn't I?" came the reply as San lay back on him, spear in hand, pointing downwards. The samurai seemed to have weakened since the last time they came.

"Why would the samurai attack? Jigo I can understand but why the samurai?" asked San.

"Probably revenge for my punishing Asano's son. He deserved it."

Once again, the people of Iron Town set about clearing the dead bodies from the lake and the path. It was a grim task they had not performed since the last siege on Iron Town. The wolves ran towards Yakkul, to the relief of the townspeople. They were still fearful of the wolves, for they were powerful and fierce in battle, as they had just seen with their own eyes.

Ashitaka felt a feeling of peace flow through him instantly and held San as the wolves approached, Takeru growling angrily.

"I'm sorry, Takeru. I..." Ashitaka began. Takeru shook his head.

"Take care of my sister, or you will find yourself in my jaws. My patience has its limits."

Ashitaka nodded and rode Yakkul back to his residence with San. They dismounted and entered, then San immediately sat on the bed after putting down her spear. Ashitaka lay on the bed, his head on San's lap this time.

"I'll never leave you again, San," Ashitaka assured her. She smiled and cradled his head in her arms, then put his ear to her heart.

"I still can't forgive the humans, Ashitaka... But wherever you go, I'll follow. I don't want to be taken from you or have you taken away..." she told him. "I'm not afraid to openly show how I feel, Ashitaka."

"San..." he mumbled as he sat up. Once again, he hugged her.

"Do you know how much it hurt me to leave, San? I couldn't choose between my village and you, San... I decided to return to my village because my friends told me that I could go back home, but the instant my right arm twitched I knew something was wrong. I came home, San. This is my home," Ashitaka explained. "Please understand, San... Forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, Ashitaka... I didn't think carefully about what you said... I thought you didn't care about me anymore now that you could go home," San replied.

"I am home, San."

The day was uneventful and mealtimes were as usual. Ashitaka joined San and her brothers in hunting the forest wildlife and eventually Takeru came to accept Ashitaka. He would never be able to stop the two from being together, he realised. They sat at the hilltop where San first spoke to Ashitaka.

"So, when are you and your mate going to have a family?" asked Takeshi. San kicked him playfully and smiled.

"Stop teasing me!" she said, to which her brother laughed. "I'm not ready."

"You must start soon... Takeru and I have been searching for mates and we're not sure if we can find any to continue the existence of the Wolf Clan. If we cannot, then you are the only one who can, San."

San tickled her brother behind the ears, then joined Ashitaka as he watched the people of Iron Town work from afar.

"They seem to be doing well... I think they won't need me," Ashitaka said, putting an arm around San's back and holding her shoulder to pull her closer to him. The trees that were burnt and cut down had since grown much due to the efforts of the Ape Tribe, but little did she expect them to appear.

Rocks and sticks were tossed at the Ashitaka and the Wolf Clan.

"Apes! Know your limits! Show respect to the Wolf Clan!" demanded Takeshi.

"Wolf-girl brings humans to forest. They cut down trees we plant. Wolf-girl does not care!" one ape said, tossing a rock.

"She is with a human. She only cares about humans now. Wolf-girl does not care about the forest!" another exclaimed.

"Leave, before you find yourselves in my mouth, you chattering apes!" cautioned Takeru, edging closer and closer to the rock formation the apes were on.

"It wasn't her fault! The humans tried to take her away again and destroyed the forest in the process! She didn't want to!" Ashitaka explained, standing up before San could say anything.

"We do not believe the words of a human! Wolf-girl only brings bad things!" one ape yelled from the rock as they dispersed.

"The Ape Tribe hasn't been on good terms with us since that damn woman showed up!" said San, fuming at the mere thought of Eboshi's existence.

"I just want the humans and the forest to live in harmony... It's a great aspiration, but I'll work for it no matter what it takes, San."

Ashitaka amazed San. He was the one caught in the crossfire, standing as an unbiased barrier, always trying to stop the fighting and the arguments and trying to bond the two sides together.

Later in the night, Ashitaka lay in bed with San on top of him.

"Ashitaka...?"

"Yes, San?"

"My brother... He told me that I had to start a family soon. I was..."

"San... Are you sure? Be sure, San... I don't want you to be unhappy."

"Yes. It's hard for them to find mates here, so Takeshi told me..."

Ashitaka held San close to him and whispered into her ear, "Don't be afraid, San."

"I'm not afraid. I'm ready."

That night, Yakkul was awakened by strange noises coming from within the residence. He listened intently for a few minutes until things started to quieten down. Wondering what was going on inside before, he fell asleep.

Inside, San was lying next to Ashitaka, her body facing the bed and her face in front of his cheek with her arm across his chest and her forearm perpendicular to that direction, hand on the bed. Ashitaka heard sniffling and turned toward the source – San. He couldn't see her face in the darkness, but she was smiling. Tears of joy were in her eyes as she snuggled even closer to Ashitaka.

"San, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, worried.

"No... I'm happy, Ashitaka."

He turned more and was face-to-face with her, then went to sleep this way.

Ashitaka awoke the next dawn to the sound of melodious singing coming from outside. He dressed himself, then went outside and saw a lone figure sitting on a tree branch, singing a song so wonderful that he didn't want to stop listening.

_Haritsumeta yumi no furueru tsuru yo_

_Tsuki no hikari ni zawameku sonata no kokoro_

Ashitaka slowly stepped toward the tree, but instead stopped and watched as the darkness slowly gave way to the sunlight.

_Togisumasareta yaiba no utsukushi_

_Sono kissaki ni yoku nita omae no yokogao_

He could see that the figure on the tree was an unclothed San, but he ignored that fact and simply listened to her singing.

_Kanashimi to ikari ni hisomu makoto no kokoro wo  
Shiru wa mori no sei_

Ashitaka turned and returned to the residence to get San's clothes. He then walked toward the tree, hearing the last actual sentences of the song.

_Mononoke tachi dake  
Mononoke tachi dake_

Ashitaka approached as the actually lyrics ended. San continued humming the tune of the song for a while, then jumped down the tree onto the grass.

"San, please get dressed before we speak," said Ashitaka as he handed her the clothing and turned around as San put on her clothes.

"We can talk now, Ashitaka."

He turned around and San immediately greeted him with an embrace. He stroked her hair again with his right hand, saying, "Your singing was astounding, San. I've never heard anyone sing like this before."

"My mother taught me the song. I don't understand the meaning of it that well, but it helps me calm down when I'm thinking too much."

Ashitaka broke the embrace and expressed what he had been thinking for so long.

"San... Our future is uncertain... Anything can happen."

"I'll be with you all the way, Ashitaka."

He smiled and looked at the sunrise.

"It's beautiful, San."

She said nothing, but just held onto him, not wanting to have him leave her.

End Chapter Three

Jikuuharuto: Hey people! Please read and review honestly (and don't be too blunt, I'm just a teenager doing something he likes during his holidays! XD)! Positive and negative CONSTRUCTIVE comments are welcome! Without reviews I won't be able to improve on my writing! Thank you so much for reading! The end of this short story is near...

Teaser line for next chapter:

_However, this fairytale ending was not to be._


	4. Epilogue

Back To The Forest 

A Princess Mononoke fan story

By Jikuuharuto

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this writing except for my idea.

Epilogue

During the course of the next few years, Ashitaka, San and the wolves had finally created their families. San gave birth to healthy twins, one boy and one girl. San had allowed for compromise and permitted only certain areas of the forest near Iron Town to be cut for firewood, but no more.

Yakkul was set free and ordered to return to the land of the Emishi to start his own family. He was young in spirit, but his body had aged and he was no longer as agile as before.

Takeshi no longer stayed at the wolves' den, but instead created a new home for his mate and her pups not far from his original home. Takeru, his mate and her pups used the Wolf Clan's den, often visited by San and her family.

Jigo had been quartered and had his body parts scattered all over Japan after being on the run from the Emperor for so long. His followers were executed by the shoguns for failure to capture San.

As for Asano's son... Let's say he never found a wife and could never have his own family.

Eboshi ventured into a more environmentally friendly business in the garment industry. Good clothes were a luxury in Iron Town before Eboshi converted half of the town into a garment industry. She wanted to provide the best for her people while maintaining peace with the forest tribes.

San had come to accept humans, but only because of Ashitaka. If it weren't for him, she would've still been trying to purge them from the forest. Her children inherited her superhuman reflexes. The boy inherited her ferocity and short fuse, shown by his constant tantrums over the smallest things. The girl inherited her father's calm ways, because she was just different from her brother in those manners. She never fought with him, always quietly enduring all the harm her brother brought.

However, this fairytale ending was not to be. For many years, Ashitaka had overworked himself helping Eboshi with her new industry and trying to build bonds between the humans and the forest. It took a toll on his body and he could no longer hold his own against diseases. Despite San's efforts in nursing him, Ashitaka's health went downhill. A disease would slowly kill him, but not before he could pass his skills and the way of the Emishi down to his children.

Before he became bedridden, he would be with his children every day, teaching them the spoken language and doing everything he could. Though he knew he was ill, he never spoke about it. He thought nothing of it and instead just kept it to himself.

Once in a while, Ashitaka would check on Eboshi's booming garment industry with his children in tow. His children would always ride together on one of the wolf cubs between their parents, who would ride Takeshi or Takeru depending on the wolves' moods. As welcoming gifts, Ashitaka's children would receive either clothes or little balls of thread to play with.

San's superhuman reflexes, agility and speed were evident in the children. Learning to hunt was part of training and fun for them. They would alternate between using San's spear or dagger, or using Ashitaka's short sword and bow and arrows with stone heads. A happy family they were, but Ashitaka's health was deteriorating. He was eventually bedridden and no matter what herbs San plucked for him, there was no improvement. She had even tried looking for the Forest Spirit, but she had no luck. Ashitaka stopped her from looking for any more herbs, because she was doing it in futility. He was resigned to his fate and revealed that he had let the sickness drag on for too long.

Ashitaka had achieved his goal of getting the humans and the forest to live in harmony, but it cost him his life. On his deathbed, he had told San that he wanted his children to live their lives without hatred and suffering. He was no longer the Ashitaka of many years ago; he was now a critically ill man in his late twenties. There were many strands of white hair everywhere on his head and his chin was rugged, covered by stubble, which indicated that he had not neglected his own grooming. When he last went to Iron Town, he went to a physician, who determined that he would not have much time left to live. He gave Ashitaka an estimated amount of time with no absolute number of days. With his days numbered, he set about doing all he could to help both the forest and the humans with anything he could.

The physician's estimation turned out to be quite accurate. As the days to what would be his death counted down, his body grew weaker and weaker to the point where he could no longer move. And on the final day of the estimation, his family gathered at his bed.

"Take care of our children," he said. "I don't have much time left. I don't want them to live with suffering..."

San nodded, on the verge of just breaking down. She didn't know why, but she just felt so depressed. With what strength he had left, Ashitaka wiped her tears away like he had done so long ago.

"San... I have always loved you... I should never have thought of going home that time..." he said, remembering the painful past. She held with both hands the hand that was wiping her tears. "Don't cry..."

"Ashitaka... You're home... This is your home."

"Father! Don't leave us behind!" the crying children exclaimed, sobbing and wiping away tears.

"My children... I'm sorry I can't be with you to protect you..." Ashitaka started, struggling to smile. He coughed blood and San immediately held onto his arm even tighter. "Train hard and don't forget what I taught you..."

"San... could you sing that song one more time...?" requested Ashitaka with laboured breathing.

San nodded, using her right hand to wipe away her tears. She waited for a few seconds before starting.

_Haritsumeta yumi no furueru tsuru yo_

_Tsuki no hikari ni zawameku sonata no kokoro_

Her song was filled with sobs in between words. Ashitaka's arm was weakening. He could see his world turning into darkness and feel that he was slowly being drawn to death. His eyes were drooping, threatening to close.

_Togisumasareta yaiba no utsukushi_

_Sono kissaki ni yoku nita omae no yokogao_

The children continued crying. San was evidently controlling herself. She did not want Ashitaka to know how she was feeling, for he would never be in peace.

_Kanashimi to ikari ni hisomu makoto no kokoro wo_

_Shiru wa mori no sei_

Ashitaka's eyes closed almost completely as he turned his head to San and his children. He was fighting his death.

Mononoke tachi dake  
Mononoke tachi dake

Ashitaka smiled as San hummed the rest of the song. "I... love you all," he said as his body went limp, a small smile still on his face. He was still alive, but his battle with death had ended. His breathing was slowing down gradually and he was forcing himself to breathe as long as he could.

San remained by his side until she could no longer hear him breathing, then she shook his body gently, telling him to wake up. When she finally realised that he was no longer alive, she was initially in shock, staring into blank space, eyes wide open. Her children looked at her as tears fell from her eyes and they wiped them away. Then, San began sobbing.

"ASHITAKA!!" San shouted, bawling instead of sobbing. She held his limp arm, tears flowing even faster than before. She buried her face in his shirt, crying her heart out. He was gone – never to return.

After she had calmed down somewhat, she walked out and mounted Takeshi, who had been informed by Yakkul of the happenings.

"We should tell the people of Iron Town. They deserve to know about this," Takeshi said. San nodded, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Her young teenage children got onto Takeru, who followed after San.

The trip to Iron Town seemed to take forever. Happy memories filled her mind as she mourned Ashitaka. His passing was sudden; he had never told her of his illness until recently. This made her all the more saddened, for the love she felt when he was around was different from anything she had ever felt.

At the gates of Iron Town, Kouroku and Toki were teaching their own children to fish. Toki heard the footsteps of the wolves and turned to see them, at first flinching due to the fear she'd always had of them. Then, forgetting the fear altogether, Toki left her child with Kouroku and ran up to San, placing an arm on her shoulder.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" she asked San, who buried her face in Toki's kimono and hugged the surprised woman.

"Ashitaka... He... He's..."

"Ashitaka has passed away," Takeshi finished, lowering his head. This news shocked Toki. Ashitaka had seemed so healthy and well the last time he visited Iron Town to check on the garment industry. She held San's head and tried her best to comfort her.

Ashitaka was buried with his feet facing the lake, wearing San's necklace of wolf fangs, which she had made from fangs lost by her brothers' pups. All the townspeople, even those who did not like San before and those who lost their family to the wolves, paid respects to Ashitaka. Even the more able lepers and those who were rid of the horrid disease made an effort to pay their respects. He was considered a hero in his own right for having done so much for the people of Iron Town.

"He was a good man," Eboshi said, patting San's shoulder. San was kneeling in front of the grave and crying like never before, her children behind her, kneeling and sobbing. Eboshi bowed to Ashitaka, then took her leave. Gonza and the town's guards bowed to Ashitaka's grave and headed back to Iron Town with the townspeople.

San didn't care about the humans around her all this time. She only knew one thing – that the man who had given her more happiness than she had ever felt was gone, forever.

Every day after his passing, she would sit in front of his grave and sing the song he loved to hear her sing, always fighting back the tears and sobbing. Her children were worried about her, but they knew that they had to move on. Living in the past was pointless – it wouldn't bring Ashitaka back.

The End 

Well now, I felt a little saddened writing that. As for questions unanswered, I leave it to the reader's imagination. Either that or you can contact me at my e-mail, . I like to have more friends around, so I'd appreciate it if any interested parties decide to ask me questions or make friends with me.

Thanks for reading my stuff all the way to the end! I'm still not confident of capturing Ashitaka and San's personalities. I would also appreciate constructive criticism of my work. Once again, many thanks for being so patient and waiting for my story to be completely posted!

As for whether I'll be working on any other Princess Mononoke fanfiction, I may already have an idea, but it's still just an idea. I hope you enjoyed what you've read so far, but if any parts offend you, I apologise, though I think most readers here are mature enough to handle this kind of thing.

Thank you and bye for now! D

-Jikuu


End file.
